Play yard

ABSTRACT

A play yard can be locked in an unfolded position via a latch mechanism or unlocked by the latch mechanism to fold to a folded position, by means of lifting a central member and bringing the rail members, the upper support members, the lower support members, and the connecting members to rotate toward the center of the play yard. A spring-loaded engaging member disposed on the rail member can have engagement with the bracket so that the play yard can be stably retained in the folded position. When the engaging member is operated to disengage from the bracket, the rail members, the upper support members, the lower support members, and the connecting members rotate away from the center of the play yard all the way to the unfolded position until the connecting members can be locked by the latch mechanism, which retains the play yard in the unfolded position.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser.No. 16/285,239, filed on Feb. 26, 2019, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/635,181, filed on Feb. 26, 2018. Thecontents of these applications are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a play yard and, more particularly, to a playyard capable of being folded or unfolded easily and rapidly.

2. Description of the Prior Art

For a parent or care giver, a play yard is a practical tool to take careinfants or children. In general, the play yard provides rest orentertainment space for infants or children. To reduce space occupied bythe play yard for shipment or storage, most of the play yards arefoldable and the size of the play yard can be reduced after beingfolded. However, the folding and unfolding process of the conventionalplay yard requires multiple steps, which brings inconvenience for theparent or care giver.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the invention is to provide a play yard capable of beingfolded or unfolded easily and rapidly.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a play yard is configurableto an unfolded position or a folded position. The play yard includes twobrackets, two rail members, two support frames, and two engagingmembers. The rail members are pivotally connected to the brackets. Eachof the support frames includes two upper support members and a lowersupport member. The upper support members are pivotally connected to thebrackets, and the lower support member is pivotally connected to theupper support members. The two engaging members are respectivelydisposed on each of the two rail members. When the play yard isconfigured to the folded position with the rail members, the uppersupport members, and the lower support member folded with respect to oneanother, the two engaging members respectively engage with at least oneof the brackets and the two rail members are retained folded withrespect to the brackets.

As mentioned in the above, the invention utilizes the engaging membersto lock the rail members and at least one bracket in such a way thatwhen the play yard is configured to the folded position, the railmembers will be securely retained in the folded position. If a userwants to fold the play yard for shipment or storage, the user canoperate the latch mechanism to unlock the connecting members and thenlift the central member, such that the rail members, the upper supportmembers, the lower support member and the connecting members rotatetoward the center of the play yard. Consequently, the rail members, theupper support members, the lower support member and the connectingmembers are folded with respect to each other. Accordingly, the foldingand unfolding process of the play yard of the invention can be performedwith minimal steps, such that the operation is very convenient for theuser.

These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt becomeobvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiment that isillustrated in the various figures and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a play yard according to an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the play yard shown in FIG. 1 with asoftgoods clothing.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the central member shown inFIG. 1 being lifted.

FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating portion of the bracket and the railmember.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the rail member and the uppersupport member.

FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating the play yard fully unfolded.

FIG. 7 to FIG. 9 are side views illustrating various states of the playyard being folded by lifting the central member.

FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating the play yard in part being fullyfolded to the folded position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a playyard 1 according to an embodiment of the invention, FIG. 2 is a sideview illustrating the play yard 1 shown in FIG. 1 with a softgoodsclothing, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the centralmember 50 shown in FIG. 1 being lifted.

The play yard 1 can be configured to an unfolded position (as shown inFIG. 1) or a folded position (the fully folded position of the play yard1 in part is shown in FIG. 10). As shown in FIG. 1, the play yard 1includes two brackets 10, two rail members 20, two support frames 30,two engaging members 40, a central member 50, a plurality of connectingmembers 52, and a latch mechanism 54. The rail members 20 are pivotallyconnected to the brackets 10. Each of the support frames 30 includes twoupper support members 32 and a lower support member 34. The uppersupport members 32 are pivotally connected to the brackets 10 and thelower support member 34 is pivotally connected to the upper supportmembers 32. The two engaging members 40 are respectively disposed oneach of the two rail members 20. In this embodiment, the engagingmembers 40 are spring-loaded and rotatable on the rail members 20.

The connecting members 52 are pivotally connected to the central member50 and the lower support member 34. The latch mechanism 54 is configuredto lock or unlock the connecting members 52, so as to unfold or fold theplay yard 1. In this embodiment, the latch mechanism 54 is disposed onthe central member 50, but is not so limited. In another embodiment, thelatch mechanism 54 may be disposed at an appropriate position near thecentral member 50. Referring to FIG. 2, the play yard 1 further includesa softgoods clothing 60 covering the rail members 20, the support frames30, the central member 50, and the connecting members 52.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the connecting members 52 are unfolded and thelatch mechanism 54 locks the connecting members 52, the rail members 20,the upper support members 32, the lower support members 34, and theconnecting members 52 are retained unfolded with respect to each other,such that the play yard 1 is situated in the unfolded position shown inFIG. 1 stably. To fold the play yard 1, operating the latch mechanism 54to unlock the connecting members 52 allows the central member 50 to belifted along direction H as shown in FIG. 3, and the rail members 20,the upper support members 32, the lower support members 34, and theconnecting members 52 are foldable with respect to one another, ortoward a center C of the play yard 1 (as shown in FIG. 6), to be morespecific.

Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, FIG. 4 is a side view illustratingportion of the bracket 10 and the rail member 20 and FIG. 5 is aperspective view illustrating the rail member 20 and the upper supportmember 32. As shown in FIG. 4, the play yard 1 further includes firstlinkage members 36 and second linkage members 38 pivotally disposed onthe rail members 20, the brackets 10, and the upper support members 32.The bracket 10 has a sliding groove 14, the first linkage member 36 ispivotally connected to the rail member 20 and the second linkage member38, and the second linkage member 38 is pivotally connected to thesliding groove 14. Accordingly, the second linkage members 38 can berotating and sliding with respect to the sliding grooves 14 as the railmembers 20 are rotated with respect to the brackets 10 between theunfolded position and the folded position. The linkage of the firstlinkage members 36, the second linkage members 38, and the slidinggrooves 14 helps the balance and consistence of the folding andunfolding process.

As shown in FIG. 5, the rail member 20 has a first engaging portion 22and the upper support member 32 has a second engaging portion 323. Whenthe rail member 20 and the upper support member 32 are unfolded withrespect to each other, the first engaging portion 22 engages with thesecond engaging portion 323, such that the rail member 20 is retained ina horizontal position. Furthermore, the upper support member 32 has afirst stop portion 321 and a second stop portion 322. When the uppersupport members 32 are unfolded, the first stop portion 321 of one ofthe upper support members 32 abuts against the second stop portion 322of the other one of the upper support members 32.

When the central member 50 is lifted, the upper support member 32rotates toward the center C of the play yard 1 to disengage the secondengaging portion 323 from the first engaging portion 22, such that therail members 20 are rotatable toward the center C of the play yard 1.

Referring to FIG. 6 to 10, FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating the playyard 1 fully unfolded, FIG. 7 to FIG. 9 are side views illustratingvarious states of the play yard being folded by lifting the centralmember 50 along direction H, and FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating theplay yard 1 in part being fully folded to the folded position.

As shown in FIG. 6 to FIG. 10, when the latch mechanism 54 unlocks theconnecting members 52, the central member 50 is able to be lifted alongdirection H. When the central member 50 is lifted, the rail members 20,the upper support members 32, the lower support members 34, and theconnecting members 52 rotate toward the center C of the play yard 1,such that the rail members 20, the upper support members 32, the lowersupport members 34, and the connecting members 52 are folded.

Please refer to FIG. 10. At least one of the brackets 10 has engagingrecesses 12. When the play yard 1 is configured to the folded positionwith the rail members 20, the upper support members 32, and the lowersupport member folded with respect to one another, the two engagingmembers 40 respectively engage with at least one of the brackets 10, orcoupled with the engaging recesses 12 respectively, and the two railmembers 20 are retained folded with respect to the brackets 10. Asmentioned earlier, the engaging members 40 are spring-loaded and can bepulled to disengage from the engaging recesses 12. When the engagingmembers 40 are disengaged from the engaging recesses 12, the railmembers 20 are made rotatable with respect to the brackets 10 so thatthe play yard 1 can be unfolded to the unfolded position.

The play yard provided in the invention can be locked in an unfoldedposition via a latch mechanism or unlocked by the latch mechanism tofold to a folded position, by means of lifting a central member andbringing the rail members, the upper support members, the lower supportmembers, and the connecting members to rotate toward the center of theplay yard. A spring-loaded engaging member disposed on the rail membercan have engagement with the bracket so that the play yard can be stablyretained in the folded position. When the engaging member is operated todisengage from the bracket, the rail members, the upper support members,the lower support members, and the connecting members rotate away fromthe center of the play yard all the way to the unfolded position untilthe connecting members can be locked by the latch mechanism, whichretains the play yard in the unfolded position. Accordingly, the foldingand unfolding process of the play yard of the invention can be performedwith minimal steps, such that the operation is very convenient for theuser.

Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerousmodifications and alterations of the device and method may be made whileretaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the abovedisclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and boundsof the appended claims.

1. A play yard, configurable to an unfolded position or a foldedposition, the play yard comprising: two brackets; two rail memberspivotally connected to the brackets; and two support frames, each of thesupport frames comprising two upper support members and a lower supportmember, the upper support members being pivotally connected to thebrackets, the lower support member being pivotally connected to theupper support members; wherein when the play yard is configured to thefolded position, the rail members, the upper support members, and thelower support members are folded with respect to one another.
 2. Theplay yard of claim 1, wherein each of the support frames comprises twofirst hinges, and the lower support member is pivotally connected to theupper support members by the first hinges.
 3. The play yard of claim 1,further comprising: a central member; a plurality of connecting memberspivotally connected to the central member and the lower support member;and a latch mechanism configured to lock or unlock the connectingmembers; wherein when the latch mechanism locks the plurality ofconnecting members, the rail members, the upper support members, thelower support member, and the plurality of connecting members areunfolded with respect to each other, and when the latch mechanismunlocks the plurality of connecting members, the rail members, the uppersupport members, the lower support member, and the plurality ofconnecting members are able to be folded with respect to each other. 4.The play yard of claim 3, wherein the latch mechanism is disposed on thecentral member, when the latch mechanism unlocks the plurality ofconnecting members, the central member is able to be lifted, and whenthe central member is lifted, the rail members, the upper supportmembers, the lower support member and the plurality of connectingmembers rotate toward a center of the play yard.
 5. The play yard ofclaim 3, wherein each of the support frames comprises two first hinges,and the lower support member is pivotally connected to the upper supportmembers by the first hinges.
 6. The play yard of claim 3, furthercomprising a plurality of second hinges disposed on the lower supportmember and the central member, and the plurality of connecting membersbeing pivotally connected to the central member and the lower supportmember by the plurality of second hinges.
 7. The play yard of claim 3,further comprising a softgoods clothing covering the rail members, thesupport frames, the central member and the plurality of connectingmembers.
 8. The play yard of claim 3, further comprising two engagingmembers respectively disposed on each of the two rail members, whereinwhen the play yard is configured to the folded position with the railmembers, the upper support members, and the lower support members foldedwith respect to one another, the two engaging members respectivelyengage with at least one of the brackets and the two rail members areretained folded with respect to the brackets.
 9. The play yard of claim8, wherein at least one of the brackets comprises engaging recesses, andwhen the play yard is configured to the folded position with the railmembers, the upper support members, and the lower support members foldedwith respect to one another, the two engaging members respectivelycouple with the engaging recesses and the two rail members are retainedfolded with respect to the brackets.
 10. The play yard of claim 8,wherein the two engaging members are spring-loaded and rotatable on eachof the two rail members.
 11. The play yard of claim 8, wherein when thetwo engaging members are operated to disengage from the at least one ofthe brackets, the rail members, the upper support members, the lowersupport members, and the plurality of connecting members rotate awayfrom a center of the play yard to the unfolded position until theplurality of connecting members are locked by the latch mechanism, so asto retain the play yard in the unfolded position.
 12. The play yard ofclaim 3, wherein each rail member comprises a first engaging portion,and each upper support member comprises a second engaging portion, wheneach rail member and each upper support member are unfolded with respectto each other, the first engaging portion engages with the secondengaging portion, such that each rail member is fixed in a horizontalposition, and when the central member is lifted, each upper supportmember rotates toward a center of the play yard to disengage the secondengaging portion from the first engaging portion, such that each railmember is able to rotate toward the center of the play yard.
 13. Theplay yard of claim 3, wherein each upper support member comprises afirst stop portion and a second stop portion, and when the upper supportmembers are unfolded, the first stop portion of one of the upper supportmembers abuts against the second stop portion of another one of theupper support members.
 14. The play yard of claim 3, further comprisinga first linkage member and a second linkage member, each bracketcomprising a sliding groove, the first linkage member being pivotallyconnected to each rail member and the second linkage member, the secondlinkage member being pivotally connected to the sliding groove, and thesecond linkage member rotating and sliding with respect to the slidinggroove as each rail member is rotated with respect to the bracketsbetween the unfolded position and the folded position.
 15. The play yardof claim 1, wherein each rail member comprises a first engaging portion,and each upper support member comprises a second engaging portion, wheneach rail member and each upper support member are unfolded with respectto each other, the first engaging portion engages with the secondengaging portion, such that each rail member is fixed in a horizontalposition, and when the central member is lifted, each upper supportmember rotates toward a center of the play yard to disengage the secondengaging portion from the first engaging portion, such that each railmember is able to rotate toward the center of the play yard.
 16. Theplay yard of claim 1, wherein each upper support member comprises afirst stop portion and a second stop portion, and when the upper supportmembers are unfolded, the first stop portion of one of the upper supportmembers abuts against the second stop portion of another one of theupper support members.
 17. The play yard of claim 1, further comprisinga first linkage member and a second linkage member, each bracketcomprising a sliding groove, the first linkage member being pivotallyconnected to each rail member and the second linkage member, the secondlinkage member being pivotally connected to the sliding groove, and thesecond linkage member rotating and sliding with respect to the slidinggroove as each rail member is rotated with respect to the bracketsbetween the unfolded position and the folded position.
 18. The play yardof claim 1, further comprising two engaging members respectivelydisposed on each of the two rail members, wherein when the play yard isconfigured to the folded position with the rail members, the uppersupport members, and the lower support members folded with respect toone another, the two engaging members respectively engage with at leastone of the brackets and the two rail members are retained folded withrespect to the brackets.
 19. The play yard of claim 18, wherein at leastone of the brackets comprises engaging recesses, and when the play yardis configured to the folded position with the rail members, the uppersupport members, and the lower support members folded with respect toone another, the two engaging members respectively couple with theengaging recesses and the two rail members are retained folded withrespect to the brackets.
 20. The play yard of claim 18, wherein the twoengaging members are spring-loaded and rotatable on each of the two railmembers.